Sarah Palin “Saturation” Has Made Her the “Hillary of the Right”

It is time for Sarah Palin to sit quietly for awhile, at least a few weeks, and let others defend her. It is time for her to let things “settle” in Tucson, because the shooting had nothing to do with her.This is not turning the other cheek: so much as : it is to let the opposition find something else by not giving them anything more.

Every single “slight” that is published against her does not require a response from Sarah Palin FacebookCentralCommand. It is more statesmanlike to remain silent. She can deny credibility to the negativists by simply… failing… to acknowledge them.

Her lengthy video this week on Facebook was not faulty in its content, even in its reference to “blood libel,” a term which is usually saved for more egregious hurts against Jews. Jewish leaders defend her. Good for them, but that does not make the video a “good idea.” What’s done is done, but please be quiet now.

In fighting back against the slights she has suffered from the mainstream media, Sarah Palin has proven herself to be a resilient presence on our national stage. She has helped rally conservatives and defend our ideas. But, she hasn’t, in the past eighteen months, demonstrated the qualities which initially drew John McCain’s attention to her, her ability to rise above the fray and govern in the public interest.

To be sure, today she lacks the public office she held from 2006-2009. But, to appear statesman-like, she should trust to new media to expose the attacks from their older counterparts.

Sarah Palin has succeeded as a conservative celebrity, but in so doing, has become less presidential than she was when she first catapulted onto the national stage.

“The sorry episode confirmed the suspicion that Palin is addicted to getting attention, while her boosters are addicted to defending every thoughtless utterance she releases. And even her boosters know what most Republicans know: Palin is not a serious thinker.

It always makes me sad to think about what Palin might have been. What if, knowing she might be chosen, she had done a better job of preparing to be a presidential running mate? What if John McCain had not asked her to join the GOP ticket? What if she had entered the spotlight without having her personal life smeared on the Internet?”

I don’t agree with Charles Krauthammer at ALL that Barack Obama’s Tucson speech was a game-changer for his image, in fact, I believe most of America could “see through” the pep-rally cheers and matching tee-shirts draped over chairs, and was offended by the self-promotional-while-appearing-to-be-self-effacing president. Obama is a master at election optics. He figuratively piled up six dead bodies and used them as props.

That said, I do agree with Krauthammer that Sarah Palin has become the “Hillary Clinton” of the right:

“Palin finds herself in a political situation “a lot like Hillary was in [during] the late ’90s,” Krauthammer explained. “A very strong constituency among liberals, in Hillary’s case, but then very high negative among people who are not her fans.” He went on to say the media has contributed “enormously” to this and Palin has handled it “reasonably” well, “but when you have that much opposition, it is impossible to overcome that.”

Krauthammer said he had hoped Palin would have spent the last two years delving into policy instead of launching a media campaign, no matter how “dull” it may seem. Unfortunately she has not, which is a negative to people who are neutral towards her.”

In retrospect, I believe very strongly that Sarah Palin did her political career a disservice by agreeing to be the vice presidential nominee in 2008. She would have done better to serve out her term, while continuing to gain stature with her policies and political victories within her state.

Her : role now as an inspirational conservative cheerleader is perfect for her and to support other candidates. Her choice to do lighter-weight activities, such as “reality television” rather than something with more gravitas, will give fodder to her opponents within and outside her party.

Using her prominence and her social media presence for policy and think pieces would be more of a help to her political career than micro-burst reactions to what shows up in each 12-hour media cycle.

There is a role for Sarah Palin. It may not be what she secretly expects for herself now. She is young and has many years ahead, in which certain memories and images of her will be replaced by others. Which memories and images will become legacy will be determined by her own life choices and cannot be blamed on others. Thus, she should choose wisely and slowly and be ready to cheerfully adjust when a wrong turn is taken.

For now, Sarah Palin shouldn’t “push” so much. She should recognize that there is such a thing as “saturation” point and she’s there.